Central America budget adventure holiday

Central America budget adventure holiday

This spectacular trip through Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama is full of adventure
and variety.

In the Monteverde Cloud Forest, Costa Rica, you can enjoy the nature high up in the
canopies by walking along the suspension bridges or take a ride down a zip-line at
speed. Enjoy wonderful hiking in the Rincón de la Vieja National Park where you can
even get up to the crater of the Rincón volcano if you desire! Take a boat trip
around the mangroves of the Manuel Antonio National Park where lush rainforest is
filled with monkeys, sloths and many bird species.

Granada, Nicaragua, is a lovely old colonial city where you can discover the
beautiful buildings and a central square with an impressive cathedral and colourful
market.

The small village of Boquete in the highlands of Panama offers some truly
breathtaking walks where you will see the plantations of coffee, fruits and flowers
that have been able to grow there due to the more favourable climate. Bocas del
Toro and Cahuita represent great places to unwind at the end of your trip and
embrace the white sand beaches and fantastic snorkelling.

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: Welcome to Costa Rica! Your tour starts in San José, where you can use your
hotel room from check in time (12.00 hrs at noon) on day 1. Most of your travel
companions will arrive later this first day, the exact time will be depending on
their flight schedule. You will meet your English speaking tour leader at 8.00 hrs
A.M. on day 2 in the lobby of your hotel. Day 2: San José is set in a beautiful
green valley, encircled by volcanoes. Enjoy a free day to explore this small
capitals shopping streets and markets. Join a city tour to the Gold or National
Museum and treat yourself to a coffee in a coffeehouse, a favourite pastime of the
friendly locals. Book a day-tour to the nearby Poas or Irazu volcanoes. Day 3:
Today we travel by private bus to the world-famous Monteverde Cloud Forest nature
reserve. Just the trip to 'the green mountain' is an adventure and you’ll be
rewarded with breathtaking views. We shall stay two nights in a good hotel with an
excellent restaurant and large garden. The entrance to the reserve is close by, as
is the butterfly garden and a beautiful hummingbird gallery. Day 4: Enjoy another
day in the nature reserve at Monteverde. You can enjoy other activities such as
visiting the frog garden, horse riding or walking the suspension bridges built high
above the cloud forest. A hike in the cloud forest is also an enchanting experience
you will never forget. The variety of dramatic microclimates, an extremely short
distance from each other is extraordinary. Usually, a one-day hike provides
alternating fog, sunshine and rain with an average temperature of 18 degrees.
Another special feature of the cloud forest is the kaleidoscope of greens. Due to
the high atmospheric humidity, the giant trees are covered with an abundance of
bromelia's, orchids, ferns, hart’s horns and mosses. It is also the home of the
beautiful yet shy, red green feathered, quetzal. Day 5: Today we travel by bus and
cross the border to Nicaragua. We will travel along the bank of Lake Nicaragua
overlooking two impressive volcanoes, before reaching the beautiful colonial city
of Granada. We will stay three nights in an atmospheric colonial hotel with pool
and air conditioned rooms. Granada lies on the banks of Lake Nicaragua, with scores
of beautiful buildings and a central square with an imposing cathedral and
colourful market. Day 6: You may choose to take an optional excursion to the city
of Masaya and the Masaya National Park, where you can pay a visit to an active
volcano. Alternatively visit Catarina from where you will have a brilliant view
over the Laguna, the Apoyo and the city of Granada or take a trip to the nearby
capital Managua, and visit the cathedral, the National Museum and the colossal
statue of Sandino or take a boat trip out on to Lake Nicaragua. Day 7: Our last day
to immerse ourselves in the rich cultural heritage of Granada Day 8: Today we head
back to Costa Rica driving along an impressive landscape to Guanacaste province,
where we arrive by the end of the afternoon. We stay two nights in a pleasant lodge
surrounded by jungle and beautiful waterfalls. Rincón de la Vieja National Park is
a must for adventurers and nature-lovers as this tropical mountain forest is
crowded with exotic birds and animals. You can choose to take wonderful hikes in
the nature reserve and cross the jungle on foot or by horse. There are sulphur
springs and bubbling mud pools if you know where to look! Day 9: Our second day in
Rincon de la Vieja. Continue to enjoy this fascinating area! An extremely special
way to travel through the forest is on the Canopy Tour, where you swing from
platform to platform like Tarzan! Real go-getters can hike to the crater of Rincón
volcano; weather permitting, accompanied by a local guide. Day 10: Today we visit
Arenal, up until recently one of the world’s most active volcanoes, and with a bit
of luck, you will still hear the underground rumblings. We spend two nights in La
Fortuna village, in a lovely hotel with swimming pool and views of the Arenal. On
arrival you can take a walk to a nearby waterfall for a refreshing swim or hire a
horse to explore the surroundings. In the evening, it is possible to visit the hot
water springs around the Arenal. Day 11: Why not join an optional excursion to the
beautiful Caño Negro Reserve, a watery area abundant with birds, caimans, turtles,
monkeys and reptiles. Day 12: Today we drive along the coast to one of the most
beautiful beaches of Costa Rica and will stay for two nights in the city of Quepos.
With an array of restaurants, soft sands and warm waters, perfect for snorkelling.
Quepos is a great base from which to explore the 682-hectare Manuel Antonio
National Park with its beaches, offshore islands, lush rainforest filled with
monkeys, sloth and lots of birds. Day 13: Carry on exploring the wonders of Quepos.
Day 14: Today we cross the border into Panama and travel to the small village of
Boquete, set in the highlands of the Chiriqui province. The climate is much cooler
here allowing flowers, vegetables, coffee and citrus fruit to grown. On the steep
slopes, the "Gnobe-Bugle" Indians, better known as the Guyami live and work on the
coffee plantations. The mountains of Boquete, offer some truly breathtaking walks
that you will never forget. Day 15: We drive to Chiriquí Grande and take a boat to
the resort of Bocas del Toro on the island Isla Colón. We have two days here to
enjoy the magnificent snorkelling, boat tours, scuba diving, swimming, waterskiing
or kayaking. There is also the option of hiring bicycles to explore this
magnificent island. It is a typical Caribbean island with wooden huts on stilts and
a relaxed atmosphere. The local food has definite Jamaican influences and the local
population are laid back at friendly. Day 16: Relax in Bocas for a second day. Day
17: We head back to the Caribbean reggae town of Cahuita and chill out with the
easy-going locals. Enjoy a drink or two at one of the bars, enjoy a spot of reggae
music and dine in one of the welcoming restaurants. Or why not take a hike in
Cahuita National Park and see if you can spot sloths, raccoons and toucans. Beach-
lovers will appreciate the wonderful bay with white sand and surfing or snorkelling
on the coral reef is a must. Diving tours out to the reef can also be arranged. Day
18: Treat yourself in Cahuita to some famous fruit flavoured crepes or a delicious
variety of their equally well-known grilled chicken dishes. Day 19: Today we travel
back to San José for one final night. Day 20: The last day of your tour. You can
use your hotel room in San José until check out time (most times at 12.00 hrs
noon). We wish you a comfortable journey home and are sure you will take with you
some wonderful memories of Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama. PLEASE NOTE that this
trip can be lengthened with a four day tour to Parque Nacional Tortuguero, one of
the most important breeding spots for sea turtles in the world.

How Central America budget adventure holiday makes a difference

Environment We work together with our local agency in Costa Rica to produce this
trip for you. As an organisation they employ local people across the board. They
are verified by the Rainforest Alliance and have an agreement in place to preserve
ecosystems and animals and people that survive from these ecosystems by changing
the use of land, business processes and customer behavior. They have committed to
try and select accommodation that are part of the ‘Good Practice Program’
(accommodations that have received training from the Rainforest Alliance). Many of
these accommodations selected are making efforts to reduce impact on the
environment by reducing waste, toxicity and consumption of resources. Roughly 80%
of all accommodations used are sustainable. Bus companies that minimize
environmental pollution as much as possible are the preferred choice of our local
agency. Bus companies that have achieved a certification in sustainable tourism are
those that are chosen. Our tour leaders have the knowledge to brief you about
environmental sustainability and give you guidelines about how best to behave in
natural areas.

Community We try to use suppliers for excursions that minimize the impacts on their
surroundings as much as possible. For example, for those boat trips that you will
have the option to do, companies that use special motors on their boats to minimize
impacts, are used. Tour leaders will take you to visit local markets (if you
choose) and try to encourage you to try Costa Rican food and buy from locals. Tour
leaders will also take you to ‘Pulperias’ little family-owned shops, rather than
the big chain supermarkets. Tour leaders also try to engage local people with you
to foster cross cultural learning by teaching some basic words in Spanish and
through traditional cooking classes. Tour leaders will brief you about sustainable
aspects during the tour in relation to the environment and the local communities.
All groups that visit Nicaragua can visit an orphanage to which $5 per customer is
donated by our agency. Together with our local agent we support the Corcovado
Foundation with a financial contribution. The Corcovado Foundation organizes
several projects in the Corcovado National Park (Osa Peninsula - Costa Rica)
including the training and hiring of more rangers promoting conservation. The
Foundation was founded by residents of the park who were concerned by the illegal
hunting and logging that was happening there. It promotes environmental education
and defends the rights of local communities. Responsible tourism is also a tool to
protect Corcovado National Park.

Central America budget adventure holiday